Operation DREAMS
by Darkton93
Summary: Two-part story. Numbuhs 1, 23, and 692 begin a mission to recruit a kid by entering his mind. Entering the mind of some unstable individuals may bring back bad memories... Inception adaptation. Oc x Canon Character pairing. Numbuh 692 Arc 2. Numbuh 12 Arc 1.
1. Transmission 1

**With apologies to Chris Nolan.**

**Pre-Reading Notes: This is going to be OC focused. I realize that's a rule of Fanfiction not to break, but it didn't occur to me at the time. Just pretend it focuses on Numbuh 1, then Numbuh 23.**

* * *

Now Loading: Kids Next Door Mission

Operation D.R.E.A.M.S.

Dashing  
Rogues  
Enact  
A  
Master  
Scheme

Writing Operatives: Lieutenant Darkton  
Original Mission Director: Mr. Warburton

A virtual world made up of a green wire-frame pattern and a starry background visualized. The world was completely featureless, extending into infinity.

A ball of light suddenly appeared out of nowhere, gradually increasing in size and intensity. Numbuh 692 dropped out of this and was deposited on the ground, then quickly opened his eyes and grasped a firm hold on his weapon. Shortly afterwards, a set of round spheres materialized, floating above the wire-plane in irregular patterns. Numbuh 692 aimed at a sphere, following its movements carefully, and finally with a mighty cry fired his weapon at it. When the shot hit the sphere, it shattered into a seemingly infinite number of pieces, the remains of which quickly dissipated.

Numbuh 692 then set his sights on another sphere. Again, he carefully tracked its movements. When confident of its trajectory, he shouted out once again as he fires, just as successfully. He then aimed at another sphere; but this one changed its direction before the blast could hit it. He tried again, anticipating on where it possibly could be. The sphere didn't even come near the predicted location. Numbuh 692 growled through his teeth, and fired randomly in all directions. The shots traveled everywhere. Some hit different spheres while others hit nothing. He continued firing, making sure to cover every possible direction. Finally he drew down, breathing heavily and worn out from all the rapid firing.

But when he looked around, to his great surprise, the sphere he initially aimed at was completely untouched. Numbuh 692 looked agape and gasped loudly, followed by an agonized growl. He then immediately pulled out a large laser instead, most likely reconstructed from a Merf gun. "Gotcha this time," he said with a smirk.

"...?"

Just then, Numbuh 692 could've sworn he heard a noise.

"...s?"

There it was again! "What the heck is that noise?" he asked to himself, as he looked around.

"...as?"

He listened intently. "No…Not a noise… Uhm…A voice. Someone I know I've heard before…."

"...mas?"

A creeping realization suddenly came over him! "…no…"

"..omas?"

The floor beneath him shattered like glass. He then dropped into an endless abyss as light engulfed him. "NOOOOOOO!"

"Thomas? Wake up! Thomas?"

Numbuh 692 opened his eyes. His vision was grey and foggy; but as he had expected he saw Numbuh 450, who was grasping him with a concerned look.

"Daydreaming again, huh?" Numbuh 450 asked. "I thought you loved the thrill of battle."

"Yeah, I do!" Numbuh 692 snapped. "And for _your_ information, I wasn't daydreaming, I was training!"

"That old excuse again, huh? If you were training, how come you were snoring?"

"I was training _in_ my sleep! Is it that hard to figure out?"

Numbuh 450 sighed. "Oh, Thomas…"

Suddenly, an alarm started ringing. "Incoming message from Numbuh 74.329," droned the Treehouse's voice.

"Right!" Numbuh 692 shot up. "Time to see if my training paid off!"

-

Numbuh 692 boarded his blue S.C.A.M.P.E.R. to fly out to remote a KND outpost. He and his pilot, Numbuh 450, made for a spot with a crudely-painted landing sign, and disembarked.

"How long did he say this was going to take?" asked Numbuh 450.

"He didn't," Numbuh 692 replied. "He just said I should go there for something special."

"Well, don't take too long. I don't want to have to work on the Treehouse by myself."

Numbuh 692 scowled. "You're not my mom, you know. I'm the Captain, so don't you go about ordering me around. Besides, you can fight, too. Just because the special order says _you_ can't go on this mission with me doesn't so you can't go on missions on your own if you want."

"That sounds great! Have fun!" she laughed as she re-boarded the blue S.C.A.M.P.E.R. flew off.

Numbuh 692 sighed and shook his head. "She'd make a good parent. Nagging and overprotective."

The entry of the base opened automatically as he approached, revealing a hallway made of mismatched metal that looked cobbled together. As Numbuh 692 walked through the halls, an announcement by chief scientist Numbuh 74.329 played over a set of megaphones.**"All operatives who have been designated for this mission, report to the meeting room immediately."** Numbuh 692 walked to the door farthest on the right. He found a hall full of KND scientists wearing lab coats who were busily working at their laptops. Instinctively, he glanced at one of the screens and saw schematics of something that looked like a briefcase with wiring inside it. Atop the schematics was a name: 'DREAMMACHINE'. Numbuh 692 tried to absorb as much info as he could…

…before being stopped by the scientist whose computer he was watching. "Hey! Yer on a need to know basis," the boy said as he blocked the view. "Right now, you don't need to now."

"Hey, for _your_ information," Numbuh 692 said, "I was assigned to the mission! Don't tell me I don't need to know about this…whatever the heck it is!"

"You'll find out about it eventually. Right now, you need to get over to the meeting room."

"RRRGHHH…fine." Numbuh 692 walked off, but not before trying one last peek. He was punished with a slap. Numbuh 692 growled and stormed off.

-

As soon as Numbuh 692 entered the meeting room, he saw five other operatives: demolitions expert Numbuh 23, Moonbase security officer Numbuh 35, Sector X leader Numbuh 78, tech expert Numbuh 202, and…

"Nigel?" Numbuh 692 noticed. True enough, _the_ leader of Sector V, Numbuh 1, was there as well. Numbah 692 immediately smiled and grabbed for his hand and started shaking it. "Nigey! My old friend! Hey, thanks for pullin' me out of the fire me back at the Collector mission; I really appreciate it! The two of us, we gotta stick together, ya know!"

But Numbuh 1 pulled his hand away. "Look, weirdo, I don't know why you're here. You certainly don't fit the qualifications of 'best of the best'."

Numbuh 692 gasped loudly, and then grit his teeth.

"Since we're working on this mission together, let me give you a piece of advice: sit back and watch a master at work." Numbuh 1 said as he walked off.

"Yeah…well…_you too, you lousy no-good paranoid freak_! You're just saying that because I'm not like you!" He pulled his eyelid down and stuck his tongue out.

"Well, I think yer both just fine," Numbuh 23 said to Numbuh 692. "And at the same time, I think you're both really rough. But still, you guys shouldn't let some little matter as how you look worry you two."

"It's not _looks_ that bothers me," Numbuh 1 snapped, "it's _attitude_! Haven't you even been near this guy? He thinks he's so much better than he really is; it's disgusting! I bet right now he's trying to steal the spotlight from all of us!"

"Yeah, whatever," Numbuh 23 shot back. "Don't knock it 'till you've tried it."

"Oh, just you wait…" Numbuh 1 crossed his arms.

"I don't get it," Numbuh 692 said to Numbah 23. "You're not…scared of me?"

"I've dealt with weirdoes before," Numbuh 23 replied. "I mean, just look at Numbuh 24!"

Numbuh 692 thought hard. Then he remembered the operative who looked like he came out of a completely new alternative universe. "Oh yeah! Heheh. Him. Now _he's_ weird!"

"Hey, what's the difference between his weirdness and Numbuh 24's?" Numbuh 78 said. "If you're gonna think someone's weird on one end, think they're both weird!"

"Uh, actually," Numbuh 23 said, "I was thinkin' more like thinkin' no one's weird, but-"

"Hey!" Numbuh 692 snapped. "_You take that back_! _You'll regret saying that_! You're nothing but a freaking bigot who can't see past what I look like! You're just a rude intolerant jerk who won't accept anyone that isn't her! And I'm still a better fighter than you are!"

"Wanna bet?" Numbuh 78 said.

"Oh, _IT'S OOOON_!" Numbuh 692 yelled, letting out a battle howl.

"Stop! All of you!" It was Numbuh 74.329, suddenly appearing in the doorway. "You're all Kids Next Door operatives! You shouldn't be fighting like this! I called you all here to fight evil, not to fight each other! Now settle down before I send you all back home."

The two fighting operatives looked at Numbuh 74.329. "Fine," they said simultaneously.

"Good, now that that's out of the way, we can discuss the mission."

-

The operatives gathered around the table. Numbuh 74.329 took his seat in front of a screen. "Actually, this mission is a two-fold assignment," he briefed. "The first part of it is a recruitment mission. We found a child with extraordinary capability." Numbuh 74.329 clicked to the next slide. An image of a child with a brown shirt, black slacks and shoes, and short black hair appeared. "This is Jeffrey Millstone. We've been keeping tabs on him for some time now. He seems to know a great deal about all sorts of military tactics. He also has enough money to purchase a lot of Merf weapons and toy spy gear, and regularly plays with them. If we can recruit him into the Kids Next Door, we can probably gain a huge combat advantage."

"Okay," Numbuh 202 asked, "so what makes this a special mission that needs a top team to complete? Surely we can just recruit him the usual way?"

"No, we can't _just_ recruit him." Numbuh 74.329 clicked again, bringing up an image of a man with black hair, a moustache and a business suit. "This is his father. He's president of a large corporation. This corporation has taken a firm stance against the Kids Next Door. That means if he were to find out that his son were to join our organization, he would most certainly disapprove. Not only that, even if we were to just let the kid come in, he's such a father's boy he'd be sure to tell his father about it. Dad would see it as a kidnapping or mindwashing, and before you know it, we'll have made a new, powerful enemy."

"Hmm," Numbuh 78 said. "That _is_ a tough one. So what do we do?"

"I was just getting to that. This is the second part of the mission. Our top scientists have invented a new piece o Technology that will allow us to have an edge. Behold!" Numbuh 74.329 placed a briefcase on the table, and opened it up, revealing…

Kids Next Door: D.R.E.A.M.M.A.C.H.I.N.E. (Dream Realizer Extracts A Memory Making Access Capable. Hugely Interesting N' Experimental)

…a wooden panel inside the briefcase filled with bottle cap knobs, plug-in wires linked up to headsets, and finally a big red button in the center. "This," Numbuh 74.329 continued, "is the key to our success. It allows a person to enter another's dreams. As you know, when you dream for a while and your brain gets an idea, you eventually start to believe it'll work. What I want you to do, is to go deep into Jeffery's mind and plant an idea that his parents don't really respect him. He'll feel the need to rebel against them, and we'll get our operative!"

"Hold on," Numbuh 1 blurted. "If there's one thing I've learned, that doesn't really work out. Whenever I've dreamed about my father hating me, I've shrugged it off, chalking it up to just a bad dream."

_"Maybe that's just 'cause of all the candy you eat…"_ Numbuh 692 thought to himself.

"But, when I think up a positive thought, then it works out a lot better. I feel myself compelled to act on that thought. What if, instead of convincing him that his parents hate him, we convince him his parents would like nothing better than to see him move on to something great?"

There was a long pause.

"Actually," Numbuh 74.329 said, "that doesn't sound like a half bad idea! Let's do that instead!"

Numbuh 1 smiled. Numbuh 692 groaned.

"Anyway, back to the briefing." Numbuh 74.329 clicked forward again to a listing of bus routes. "This is the bus schedule Jeffery uses to get to and from school. I want you guys to intercept him on his bus, get him to fall asleep, and then use the D.R.E.A.M.M.A.C.H.I.N.E. on him. If you plant the idea deep in his head, he won't be able to let go of it. Also, it would be wise if at least one of you were to keep an ear open in reality, just in case something goes wrong."

"I nominate myself," Numbuh 202 blurted out. "I should be the one to work with the D.R.E.A.M.M.A.C.H.I.N.E., since I'm pretty good with tech. And really, this can't be that hard to work with, can it?"

"Question," Numbuh 23 said.

"Shoot," Numbuh 74.329 replied.

"What about the time it takes for him to get home? Last I checked, it shouldn't last that long to get there on a bus."

"Ah, that's the best part!" Numbuh 692 replied. "Whenever I'm engaged in my Image Training sessions, usually occurring when I dream, time seems to last longer. I betcha the same principle applies to the rate of time with that doohickey."

"Exactly," Numbuh 74.329 said. "Time in the dream world lasts longer than time in the real world, so five minutes will seem like ten. Now, seeing as how you have enough details to piece together a plan, let's get moving!"

"Right!" All the operatives said at once.

-

The bell rang loudly to signal the end of class. Jeffery Millstone stepped out of the door to the school, headed in the direction of the bus. As he boarded and sat down, he looked around to see who else was on it. He saw a boy in a red shirt, a boy in blue, a girl also in blue, a girl in purple, and…

"YAH! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!" Jeffery screamed, noticing what looked like some kind of monster with a circular head, thick limbs, and huge eyes.

"Oh!" Numbuh 202 replied. "That's my science fair project. It's a robot designed like a cartoon character. His name is…uhh…N-962!"

Numbuh 692 immediately responded by sighing loudly, shrugging, and moving his arms in a stilted manner. "Bleep. Bloop. I. Am. A. Ro. Bot. Can. You. Not. Tell."

"Oh," Jeffery responded. "That makes more sense. Did you get help on it?"

"Yep!" Numbuh 202 said. "My family works for a gihugic corporation. I think sometime in the future our companies should work together."

"How did you know my dad works for a company like that?"

"My Dad says your dad keeps talking about you. He's really proud of you." Numbuh 202 pulled out a water bottle. "Hey, I bet you're really thirsty. Want some?"

"Well…okay!" Jeffery grabbed the bottle, pulled off the cap, and took a sip from it. "Ah! Refreshing!"

A few seconds later, he collapsed in his seat, fast asleep.

"Good thing we used that melatonin to spike his water," Numbuh 202 remarked. "Alright, everyone! Coast is clear!"

The other operatives gathered around Jeffery. Numbuh 78 pulled out the D.R.E.A.M.M.A.C.H.I.N.E. and placed the headphones on him.

"692." Numbuh 692 said to Numbuh 202.

"Huh?" she replied.

"It's 692, not 962. Get it right next time, Kim."

"Maybe when you stop callin' us by our names instead of our Numbuhs."  
Numbuh 692 growled loudly.

"Right," Numbuh 1 said. "You all know what to do. Numbuh 202, let me know if the bus starts getting to our stop by making a noise. Don't go too loud, just something to let us know we're running out of time."

"Gotcha," Numbuh 202 replied.

"See ya later, Kim!" Numbuh 692 said cheerfully.

"Bye, guys."

Each one of the remaining operatives put a set of headphones on their head, pulled out a bottle of water, and took a sip from it. They quickly fell asleep. Thus their minds left the Earth, and transitioned to a new world…

After a lightshow of a tunnel appeared before the five operatives' eyes, followed by a bright light, they arrived in a city along with Jeffery, riding in a go-kart sized van, driven by Numbuh 1. Jeffery was still getting used to the dream world, as was Numbuh 692. The others were quite active, however.

"Oh lovely," Jeffery said. "I've gone to bed. Now I'm going to miss the stop."

"I'm sure somebody will wake you up when you hit your stop," Numbuh 35 said. "Say, wanna go on a tour while you're waiting? We can read comics!"

"Silly kid. You can't read things in a dream."

"I can, it's really easy," said Numbuh 692 in a showoff manner.

"Me too," Numbuh 1 said from behind the wheel.

Numbuh 692 pouted. Obviously he wasn't as special as he thought.

"Anyway, if you can't read," Numbuh 35 continued, "we can do some other stuff, like-"  
But before he could finish his sentence, the van started to shake. The operatives and Jeffery looked out the nearest window, and saw a squadron of soldiers in uniform firing upon the van with high-tech weaponry. "Huh?! Where did these guys come from?"

"Stop the van now!" Numbuh 692 commanded Numbuh 1.

"Why?" Numbuh 1 responded.

"So we can show these guys what happens when you mess with our bread and butter!"

Numbuh 1 was just about to correct him, but then smiled smugly. "Good idea, actually. Just let me find a good parking space." Numbuh 1 drove the van through the city, dodging blasts and the explosions that came with them. He swerved constantly, attempting to predict where the soldiers would attack next. Finally, he found an opening in a warehouse, and drove the van into it. The soldiers, however, surrounded the van by the score.

"Alright!" Numbuh 692 said, prepping himself for battle. "No time for games! It's officially cook or be cooked! YAAAAH!" Numbuh 692 burst through the doors and charged at one of the guards, hitting him in the stomach, then in the chin, and then with a kick knocked him away. He then pursued the soldier, bashed him into the ground, and on the rebound from the attack yelled and punched him up into the air. He followed the poor sap into the sky, delivering a flurry of punches and kicks all over his body, grunting at each attack. He then grabbed the soldier's leg, swung him around while still mouthing battle noises, and finally threw him to the ground. He then proceeded to fly downwards, and with a mighty howl planted both his feet into the soldier's stomach. Panting heavily after all these theatrics, he spun around and shouted "WHO ELSE WANTS SOOOOME?!"

But as he looked over the area, most of the soldiers had already been knocked out.

"…but…but I worked so hard just to beat just one guy!"

"Oh, please," Numbuh 78 said. "You're too focused on lookin' pretty. Maybe you should try what works."

"Hey! If it's not worth doing with style, it's not worth doing! Personal motto right there!"

"That's not your motto, weirdo, that's the motto of Ja-"

"Hold up," Jeffery said dead seriously, causing the operatives to turn to him. "Something's not right here. None of these guys attacked me, yet they all attacked you. That's awfully convenient if you ask me."

"Well, um," Numbuh 1 stuttered, "it's just that, well, we're-"

"Invaders, I'm guessing? What if all these guards are my mind fighting back against you like a bunch of brain antibodies?"

"Oh, dear, this is gonna be harder than I thought. Hey, Numbuh 78, do you mind?"

"Sure thing," she replied, teleporting behind Jeffery and karate-chopping him in the back of the neck, causing him to be knocked out.  
Numbuh 692 let out a loud gasp as his pupils shrunk. "WH-WHA?! How did…how did…but he was…and you were…"

"Lucid dreaming. It's very useful."

Numbuh 692 struggled for a response. "Bu…how…yeah, well…SHOW OFF!"

"Whatever. Listen, we need a direction to go from here. We still have to put that idea into his mind, but how're we gonna do it if we keep getting shot at?"

"I've got somethin'," Numbuh 23 spoke up. The others turned to her. "Ever have one of those dreams where you think you've woken up, but you were still dreaming all along? Well what if we were to recreate that kinda effect?"

"What're you saying?!" Numbuh 692 asked.

"I'm saying we should conjure up a D.R.E.A.M.M.A.C.H.I.N.E. and go deeper!"

"D-deeper?" Numbuh 35 asked. "Is that even possible?"

"Crazy enough to work," Numbuh 1 replied. He then held out his hands, and in a flash of light a D.R.E.A.M.M.A.C.H.I.N.E. appeared. "Alright. Everyone ready?"

Every single member of the team conjured glasses of water filled with melatonin one at a time, first 23, then 35, then 1. Knowing it was his turn, Numbuh 692 moved his arms to his side, closed his fists, and let out a mighty yell. The others looked at him as he continued to yell. He then grit his teeth, making noises as if he were straining himself. Veins started to bulge from his head and his eyes involuntarily shut themselves. All the others could do was look on as he made strange grunting noises. Had he forgotten to use the restroom before they left?

But despite all his efforts to conjure up a glass, he could not do it. Eventually he gave up, eyes appearing as if X's were in them. "It's no use! I just can't do it! I just can't try hard enough!"

"Or maybe you're just trying _too_ hard," Numbuh 1 mumbled. He then looked to Numbuh 78. She wasn't doing anything. "Uh, Numbuh 78? Why aren't you getting a glass of water?"

"Well, someone's going to need to keep watch," she replied. "I'll keep you safe from all the soldier guys by driving you along the way."

"You do know how to drive this thing, right?"

"If it's anything like Project Metropolis, yeah."

"Right. Thanks. See you soon." Numbuh 1 instructed the others to put their headsets on, while Numbuh 78 moved a headset to Jeffery. She also gave Numbuh 692 a glass of water. The remaining operatives drank, and the transportation began…

Jeffery sat at the desk of a futuristic soda bar, with neon lights, television screens depicting a 2D fighting game in progress, and a large crowd of strange-looking yet still human people. Jeffery himself was in the middle of drinking a glass of root beer.

"Hello," a vaguely British voice said. Jeffery turned around to one of the chairs and saw a bald boy with sunglasses and a red t-shirt. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nigel Uno."

"Oh," Jeffery said. "I could've sworn I heard that name before. Oh well. I'm-"

"Jeffery Millstone," Nigel interrupted. "I already know all about you."

"Wait…how do you know about me?" All of a sudden, the entire bar turned to Nigel, giving him an evil eye each.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a projection of a kid you met on the bus. Nigel may not even be my real name. You just happened to fall asleep on the bus."  
The crowd resumed their normal activities. Jeffery breathed a sigh of relief.

"Listen," Nigel continued, "you're not safe here. Someone is trying to gain information from you by invading your mind. I can feel their presence already. I don't know what he looks like, though, only that he exists. If you come with me, I'll help you take him down."

"Sounds good. Let's see if I can find him." Nigel pulled out an improvised weapon, gave one to Jeffery, and the two began their search.

-

Elsewhere, Numbuh 23 and Numbuh 692 were walking around the rest of the complex, a futuristic military base with a sleek white structure and blue lights around the area. "Okay," Numbuh 692 said out of the blue, "what're we supposed to be doing again?"

"Well, if what Numbuh 1 is doin' is any indication, I'd say we're supposed to be clearin' out the base from those brain antibodies or whatever."

"This place looks familiar, somehow…Wait a minute, I recognize this place! It's my old HQ back home!"

"Really?"

"In that case, I'm gonna go get myself some armor and a better gun! You keep doing your thing, I'll be back." And so Numbuh 692 rushed off out the nearest exit.

"Not really that smart, Numbuh 692. I guess I should-" However, because Numbuh 23 wasn't looking where she was going, she slammed into someone else. After reorienting herself, she had a good chance to look at the person she knocked into.

It was a girl who looked a lot like Numbuh 692, except she had somewhat curly hair set into a circular ponytail, blue eyes, and set of pink overalls with a white shirt underneath. "Oh, I'm sorry," the girl said with a sweet voice. "I didn't notice you there."

"Uh…well…that's okay," Numbuh 23 said, visibly taken aback by the strange girl. "I shoulda been the one to notice you."

"No, it's alright. Say…" The girl began to look at Numbuh 23 with a hostile expression. "I've never seen you before. Are you an invader?"

"Wha? Me? Naw! I'm just a…friendly…neighborhood…projection…just…projection -ing it up. Nothin' wrong with…me. Aheh."

The girl's mean look faded into a warm smile. "Oh. Okay! Heehee! Anything I can do to help you?"

"Well, I'm lookin' for Jeffery Millstone. Seen 'im?"

The girl strained a bit. "Hmm…huh…umm…hmm…I don't know who that is."

"Oh. Great."

"Hey, by the way, you wouldn't happen to have seen Numbuh 692 around here anywhere?"

"He said he was goin' to get some armor and a better gun. I don't know where you can find that kinda thing."

"Ooh! Ooh! I know where he went!" The girl hugged Numbuh 23. "Thank you so much! You're so nice!"

"Uh, sure. Whatever." The girl loosened her grip. "You know, if it weren't for the fact that you're a weirdo, you'd probably look a lot like Numbuh 12."

"I _am_ Numbuh 12! And I'm not a weirdo; you are. Well, gotta go meet up with Numbuh 692. Bye-bye!" Numbuh 12 waved goodbye as she walked off in the same direction Numbuh 692 went.

"No problem! See you around Numbuh 12!" Numbuh 23 smiled contently. Then a creeping feeling came over her. "Numbuh 12?" The same Numbuh 12 who stole the Code Module from the KND Moonbase one year ago and joined the Teen Ninjas? "Numbuh 12?!" Come to think of it, it probably _was_ that same Numbuh 12! Numbuh 23 gasped again as she realized what she had done and where she had sent a traitor. "_Numbuh 12_!"

Transmission Interrupted

* * *

**"A virtual world made up of a green wire-frame pattern and a starry background visualized. The world was completely featureless, extending into infinity." The virtual world is based off of the VR Missions from the first Metal Gear Solid.**

**"...and finally with a mighty cry fired his weapon at it." And with that line, Numbuh 692's personality is revised. Rather than having his anime appearance be just his appearance, he now has a personality that parodies anime. Bad 90s dubs of anime more specifically. The 1999 FUNimation Dragonball Z dub even more specifically. Hence, his screams, grunts and cries are meant to sound over-the-top and hammy, as if to compensate for a lack of skill by the actor.**

**""Incoming message from Numbuh 74.329," droned the Treehouse's voice." Numbuh 692's treehouse has a different voice from the normal KND treehouse. It's higher pitched, like a fembot in anime. First person to guess where it came from wins a shout out!**

**" Hey, thanks for pullin' me out of the fire me back at the Collector mission..." Occured in Operation WEIRDO. Go read that now if you haven't already, I have a very strict continuity.**

**""I mean, just look at Numbuh 24!"" A contest winner from KND. His looks are obviously based off the kid, so he has a more detailed face. As such, people like Numbuh 692 have precedent here... I hope. If I find out I've just created a Mary Sue, I'm going to have to S.P.L.O.R.C.K. him from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.**

**""****_You take that back_****! ****_You'll regret saying that_****! You're nothing but a freaking bigot who can't see past what I look like! You're just a rude intolerant jerk who won't accept anyone that isn't her! And I'm still a better fighter than you are!"" 692 is paraphrasing 1999 Vegeta's threats to the Androids.**

**"It allows a person to enter another's dreams." This episode, as if the description didn't tell you enough, is an adaptation of Chris Nolan's film Inception. I wouldn't quite call it a parody because it takes itself very seriously. No, I can do parody, too. Imagine a homage to the Asteroid Belt scene in Empire Strikes Back, but they're navigating a field of Crunchberries. That's parody. This is just adaptation. And the similarities only continue from here, so for all you poor suckers who read this, turn back now if you hate adaptations. Or don't and tell me exactly what I did wrong. Just remember to phrase it nicely.**

**"****_"Maybe that's just 'cause of all the candy you eat…"_**** Numbuh 692 thought to himself." Back when I was writing this, the concept didn't exist, but Numbuh 692 has two personalities. The former, Numbuh 692, is silly, and a lovable anime parody. The latter is Captain Thomas, who's a lot more serious for a very good reason. First person to guess what that reason is wins a shout-out! In this case, it's Thomas who's thinking that. Thomas is still voiced by Mona Marshall, but uses a deeper voice, closer to her tone used for Izzy.**

**""Silly kid. You can't read things in a dream."" If you focus really hard on something, you can. The gibberish will morph into something you can understand. And yes, the fact that Nigel can read in his dreams does make his life more challenging sometimes, like when he's hit with the Happy Headband.**

**""No time for games! It's officially cook or be cooked! YAAAAH!"" 692 is quoting Space Ghost Coast to Coast. His fight scene is heavily inspired by Vegeta's fight with Captain Ginyu.**

**""That's not your motto, weirdo, that's the motto of Ja-"" Jazz. G1 Jazz to be precise.**

**""Lucid dreaming. It's very useful."" Nigel does in fact do this in Operation WHITEHOUSE.**

**"All the others could do was look on as he made strange grunting noises. Had he forgotten to use the restroom before they left?" Common misconception of DBZ power ups. They're better in Kai, seriously.**

**""If it's anything like Project Metropolis, yeah."" She's referencing Project Gotham Racing, mixed with Superman's home town of Metropolis. WB owns Metropolis, not Project Gotham.**

**"I'm a projection of a kid you met on the bus." My lawyer is screaming bloody murder at me right this moment. I don't realize how badly I've messed up until the Editor said so.**

**"The same Numbuh 12 who stole the Code Module from the KND Moonbase one year ago and joined the Teen Ninjas?" Numbuh 12 is a one-shot character from Operation SLUMBER. I bet she sees a lot of use in fanfics.**

**Okay, for anyone getting past this point, it only goes downhill from here, but it has some essential story elements, so I can't turn back now. For anyone who hates adaptations, parodies in name only, and fanmakes, TURN BACK NOW.**


	2. Transmission 2

**NO, SERIOUSLY. LEAVE AT ONCE IF YOU HATE FANMAKES. EVEN I REALIZE I SCREWED UP ON THIS ONE. THE EDITOR GAVE UP ON ME HALFWAY THROUGH. LEAVE. AT. ONCE.**

**...your funeral.**

* * *

Continuing Transmission

The halls leading up to an armory were lined with bodies of snoring guards. They had been knocked asleep by Numbuh 692 using an improvised tranquilizer. The guards lined the halls until they stopped at the door to the armory. Inside, Numbuh 692 was taking off his shirt and pants, his shoes already discarded.

_"Okay, Thomas,"_ Numbuh 692 thought, _"get your act together. Reality warping powers? That's for kittens!"_ He pushed buttons on a nearby pad on the wall, revealing a hidden door that opened to display a suit of dark blue armor not too dissimilar to Numbuh 450's except it had a pair of pauldrons and a cobalt bodysuit. _"The only reason they did so well against those guards was because I loosened them up for them. They'd be nothing without their elite combat specialist."_ He put the bodysuit on, followed by the armor itself. _"I just gotta clear this base out so we can get to planting that thought."_ He then pushed a button on the wall, and a weapon not to dissimilar to a Merf pistol except it was silver with red and black detailing on it was revealed. _"Having these weapons with me should help me do the job more efficiently then those dorks."_

"Hey!" exclaimed one of the guards. "What're these guys doing asleep?"

Numbuh 692 smiled confidently. _"Well…"_ He loaded his weapon with batteries. _"At least I'll be ready for 'em this time!"_

-

Numbuh 1 and Jeffery entered a restroom. "So," Jeffery inquired, "if someone's trying to invade my mind, and you're a projection, that must mean I'm in a dream."

"Isn't it obvious?" Numbuh 1 replied.

"I guess so." Jeffery snapped his fingers to conjure up a cartoon bomb, and then lit it with fire from his hands.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you think you're doing?"

"If you die in a dream, you're sent back to the real world. Ergo, if I die, then I keep the invaders away. It's obvious!"

"How do you know they won't just kill you for real when you return to the real world? If they want to invade your mind, they must be pretty ruthless."

Jeffery paused. "Good point." He then blew out the bomb. "I'm technically stronger here."

"Glad to see you've come to your senses. Now, let's-"

The two heard the sound of a toilet flush. A guard stepped out from one of the stalls, turned around, and noticed Numbuh 1 and Jeffery. "Hey!" the guard said. "You're not supposed to be here!"

Jeffery hurled an energy bolt into the guard's face, knocking him out.

"Careful, now," Numbuh 1 said. "Where there's one, there may be hundreds. Follow me!" Numbuh 1 left the restroom, followed by Jeffery.

-

"VIRGINIA!" Numbuh 692 called out. "YOU AROUND, VIRGINIA?!" A pair of guards came up from behind. Numbuh 692 gasped and kicked one of them in the head, then threw the body into the other one. "Obviously I gave away my position by shouting. There's an easier way to get her attention." Numbuh 692 pulled out his Contacter, a watch converted into a communications device. He pushed a button on the touch-screen that read "CALL", input the code "23" into the keypad, and held the device to his mouth. "Virginia? You around? I got my armor on, now!"

"Numbuh 692? That you?" Numbuh 23 responded. "First of all, you really should call me by my Codenumbuh, 23, and not my name."

"Force of habit."

"Right. Listen, did you encounter another weirdo?"

"Gonna have to be more specific on your definition of weirdo."

"Gal who looks like you."

"Oh, you mean Megan? No, didn't notice her at all. She's not even part of the mission. Any Megan you'd meet would have to be generated by the dream-world, therefore against you. Where are you, any-"

The Contacter beeped, and a graphic appeared reading "INCOMING CONTACT: 1".

"Oh, lovely. Nigel's calling. This'll have to wait."

"I'm gettin' a call, too. I'll see if it's important."

"Right. See ya, Virginia!" He hit the button to turn to Numbuh 1. "_What_."

"Meet me in the commander's office. We'll continue our plan there."

"Whatever." Numbuh 692 broke contact. He then moved away from the hall.

As he left, Numbuh 12 emerged from the opposite doorway. She saw Numbuh 692 use the door and smiled cheerfully. "Found you, Numbuh 692!" she said. "We have soooo much to catch up on." She skipped through the door after him.

-

Back in the first dream, Numbuh 78 drove along the highway as fast as she could. A couple of black and white cars were in pursuit. She tried to dodge them as best as she could, but after a certain distance, she came across a barricade of cars and soldiers, all aimed directly at her vehicle. Numbuh 78 gasped, then made a sharp left turn.

In the second layer, Numbuh 23 ran through the halls, looking for Numbuh 692. Suddenly, gravity began to shift to the left, knocking her off her feet and sending her flying into a nearby wall. It took a while for her to regain her footing, but in five seconds she was back up. "Can't let this distract me," she said. "I gotta warn the others, especially Numbuh 692!" She immediately ran to the nearest door.

-

Numbuh 35 walked through the halls of the base. "Ugh, this place is waaay too clean," he muttered. "Where's the homemade Kids Next Door feeling?" He then saw a lone guard who was looking for intruders with his rifle pointed forward.

The guard immediately turned around to face Numbuh 35. In response, Numbuh 35 magnetically pulled the rifle away from the guard and into his own hands.

"CHAAAARGE!" he shouted, following the guard through the halls. The two ran through several hallways until reaching a large gate. When the gate opened, a full squad of reinforcements was waiting for Numbuh 35. "Umm…charge?" Numbuh 35 squeaked. The guards immediately cocked their rifles.

Numbuh 35 immediately ran out screaming, trying to dodge the barrage of laser fire. He found a door with a panel on the other side, shot the panel, and the door immediately slid down. However, as the guards fired, the door dented from the impact. Knowing that the door couldn't withstand too much pressure, Numbuh 35 ran as fast as he could, finding a hiding space in a dark room.

However, something in his pocket started to vibrate. He pulled out a walky-talky and put it up to his ear. "Who is it?" he asked.

"This is Numbuh 1. Meet me in the commander's office. I have an idea."

"Roger! Numbuh 35 out!" He broke contact, and ran off to the nearest door.

Behind him was Numbuh 12, still looking for Numbuh 692. "Huh. He's not Numbuh 692," she said to herself. "Oh well!" She skipped in an alternate direction.

Numbuh 1, Numbuh 35, and Jeffery all entered the commander's office, a room with a silver desk and a wide array of monitors. "Any moment now…" Numbuh 1 said.

"What're we waiting for?" Jeffery asked.

"Just wait."

There was a pause.

The door opened to reveal Numbuh 692. "Hey guys! How's it-"

He was immediately charged at by Numbuh 1, pinned to the ground. "Got him!"

"HUH?! What are you _doing_?!"

"Allow me to introduce you, Jeffery, to the invader."

"Ooh boy!" Jeffery said. "I'm gonna have some fun with you!" He charged up an energy bolt with his hands. Numbuh 692 panicked loudly.

"No!" Numbuh 1 called out. "I have a _better_ idea."

"What's that?"

"We're going to go inside his mind, and pry some information right out of him. Maybe we can find out something he knows that you don't."

"Sounds like a plan…but…how do we do it?"

"Simple." Numbuh 1 conjured up a D.R.E.A.M.M.A.C.H.I.N.E. "This is the same kind of technology he used to get in. We're gonna use it to get in his mind."

"Sounds like a plan!"

"Get to bed, before he breaks free. We'll protect you."

"Right!" Jeffery conjured up a melatonin-spiked bottle of water. He took a few sips from it, yawned, and fell fast asleep.

Numbuh 1 released Numbuh 692, only for 692 to grab hold of him. "HEY!" he shouted. "What's the big idea?! I thought we were supposed to be on the same side!"

"We are," Numbuh 1 replied. "It's just that we can't tell that to Jeffery's face. We're blaming you because you're the most obvious person around."

"But going into my mind?!"

"We're not. We're going into his."

"So…" Numbuh 35 remarked, "…we started off by going into a dream…we're in a dream now…and we're going to go into _another_ dream?"

"Yes, that's right."

"That makes no _sense_! I can understand two dreams, but _three_?! That's overkill!"

"It'll get the idea really deep, and that should make him want to join the Kids Next Door even more."

"Fjjt…frgh…GAAAH!" Numbuh 35 yelled. "My brain hurts _so much_!"

"A natural feeling. Now, let's get this underway!"

The door to the commander's office opened to reveal a frantic Numbuh 23. "Guys! Guys!" she hurriedly spoke. "We've got another invader around, and she looks like and called herself Numbuh 12!"

Numbuh 35 reacted in shock. "N-Numbuh 12?!"

Numbuh 692 was even more shocked. "S-SUMMER?!" He immediately turned to Numbuh 23. "VIRGINIA! Stop messing up our mission with your bad memories!"

"No, no! You don't understand!" she frantically spoke. "She looked more like you, Numbuh 692!"

Numbuh 692 gasped again, face turning blue with shock.

The other operatives turned to Numbuh 692. "Uh…Numbuh 692?" Numbuh 35 asked. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

But Numbuh 692 didn't say anything. All that came out of his mouth were vocalizations of pure terror.

"Hmm…this changes everything," Numbuh 1 said. "Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4 told me all about her. Someone should stay on guard in case she finds us. We're a bunch of sitting ducks when we're asleep."

"Me!" Numbuh 35 blurted out. "I was there when Numbuh 12 betrayed us, and I'd like nothing more than to show her how we deal with traitors!"

"But…but…if you wanted to get her out of the dream world…" Numbuh 692 stammered, "…you'd have to…have to…"

"Okay, Numbuh 692…I'm sending Numbuh 23 to keep an eye on you," Numbuh 1 instructed. "The way you're acting, and the way Numbuh 23 says Numbuh 12 looks, you're quite suspect. Now quick! We need to plant that thought as soon as we can before she finds us!" Numbuh 1 put on his headset and conjured up a glass of water.

"I'll make sure she doesn't get you," Numbuh 35 assured.

"Umm…" Numbuh 692 said, putting on his headset and picking up a glass given to him by Numbuh 23, "…alright."

The remaining operatives drank up, fell asleep, and the teleportation began once more.

The operatives had dropped into a snowy mountain range. Numbuh 1 and Jeffery climbed up a hill, wearing their snowsuits. Upon reaching the top, they saw an outpost.

"There," Numbuh 1 said. "That's where we need to go. If we can reach the central core of the base, we can find out just why he wanted to invade your mind."

"Gotcha," Jeffery replied. "Won't it be guarded?"

"Don't worry." Numbuh 1 conjured up a large cannon. "I'm sure we can find a way to deal with them."

"Oooh! Hehheh, got it!" The two rushed to the base.

-

Meanwhile, having dropped closer to the fortress, Numbuh 692 and Numbuh 23 were setting up a sniping point.

"By the way," Numbuh 23 asked, "why ya so interested in Numbuh 12?"

"I'm not interested in her," Numbuh 692 muttered.

"Don't give me that. I think I know why. She hurt you. And now you want to hurt her back."

"This isn't about revenge."

"Liar!"

"I don't wanna talk about it!"

"Well than just shoot her already when you see her!"

"NO!" Numbuh 692 smashed a nearby window. "_NOOO_!"

Numbuh 23 held her hands to her mouth, surprised at how hard he was taking it.

"…you want to know why I'm seeing her?" Numbuh 692 said. "It's simple. We liked each other. A lot. I mean, like-liked each other."

Numbuh 23 pointed and laughed. "692 and 12, sittin' in a tree! H-U-G-G-I-N-G!"

"Haha. Very funny. Here, let me make a suggestion for another: Thomas' got a girlfriend _that he'll never see again_!"

Numbuh 23 stopped. "Oh."

"We were very close to each other. She was one of the only people I really understood. That's what, even now, hurts to this day. She didn't even say goodbye. She didn't leave gracefully. If I never saw her again because she got decommissioned, I would've understood. Some of my best friends are decommissioned. But did she have to turn on us?! That explanation, that she'd have to work for them sooner or later, that's not true! She didn't _have_ to work for them! She could've just said no! That's why I hate teenagers. When you grow up, you die and some _stupid jerk_ takes your place!"

"So just shoot her next time you see her!"

"NO, I CANT!" Numbuh 692 tried to regain his composure. "I mean, what I meant to say was that I still like to think there's hope. Maybe she hates being a teenager. Maybe she's working against them behind their backs. What if, by chance, she's still the same old Summer I knew from before, and we can still be together?"

"Someone's in denial." Numbuh 23 moved closer to Numbuh 692. "Look, I miss her too. But I've moved on from the whole thing. If I see her, I'll give her a piece of my mind. Because I looked at her eyes, and I can tell she's not the same anymore. Don't let yer crush get in the way of the mission."

"I…I guess. But don't hurt her _too_ hard."

-

Back in the real world. Numbuh 202 watched the others carefully, making sure they didn't wake up prematurely. Just then, the driver made an announcement. **"Next stop, Trevor Road 123rd Avenue Southwest."**

Numbuh 202 perked up. "Oh crud!" she blurted. "That's where Jeffery lives!" She plugged a stereo speaker into the D.R.E.A.M.M.A.C.H.I.N.E. and pushed the play button. The sound of a school bell emitted from the speaker.

Back in the third layer, a noise could be heard in the background. A slow, deep clanging noise. "Uh oh," Numbuh 1 blurted.

An avalanche erupted from the field, causing the two children to fall screaming, swept up from the snowstorm. The cannon Numbuh 1 had conjured was lost in the blizzard. When the wave of snow reached the bottom, the two came up out of the snow. "Anyone get the number of that phone?" Jeffery said wearily.

"This is bad."

"Bad? Why?"

"Because we've been spotted! The invader knows we're here and will stop at nothing to make sure we come back empty-handed. That noise is an attempt to thrust us out. We've got only a few moments, let's hurry!"

-

The effects of the speaker were not only heard in the third layer. As Numbuh 78 drove the go-van through the road, she heard that same noise, except much louder. The road began to crumble underneath her, revealing a large body of water below. Numbuh 78 yelped and tried to direct herself away from the breakaway road, driving the van in an erratic pattern. She turned constantly, trying to avoid the fractures. Eventually, however, the road broke away in front of her, causing her to tumble into the abyss below.

In the second layer, Numbuh 35 was carefully guarding the others. "I don't get it," he said to himself. "Where's Numbuh 12? She's gotta have been here by now. What gives?"

Suddenly, the floor began to fall beneath him, almost as if gravity had lost its effectiveness. To make a bad situation worse, a squad of three guards arrived in the room, each wearing heavy armor and carrying advanced weaponry.

"No way am I letting you get to them!" Numbuh 35 said. However, he found it hard trying to move around in the zero-g room. Meanwhile, the guards had no impediment in their aim, landing a well-placed shot on him, which sent him flying into a wall. Numbuh 35 pushed himself off the wall, and tried doggy paddling through the air. He reached a guard and gave him a swift kick, then tried moving to another guard and prepared to deliver a punch. However, he wasn't using his arms to move, so he tumbled around aimlessly. The guard, meanwhile, charged at him.

-

Back in the third layer, Numbuh 1 and Jeffery reached the edge of the fortress. Numbuh 1 held up a fishing rod with a magnet attached to the hook, and cast a line at the wall. "Grab on!" he ordered Jeffery, who climbed onto Numbuh 1's back. Numbuh 1 pulled the two up with the rod, grabbed the magnet, and began a climb.

After a while, the two reached a window. Numbuh 1 conjured up a rock and threw it at the window, sounding the alarm. Guards in snow gear piled through the room and took aim at the two. Numbuh 1 and Jeffery charged at the guards, Numbuh 1 delivering an uppercut to one, then kicking it away. Jeffery played it safe and delivered a flurry of energy bolts from his hands. Numbuh 1 took hold of a guard and threw him out the open window, then turned around and punched another guard in the stomach. Jeffery held his hands together, building up energy, then fired a larger bolt at a trio of guards.

However, no matter what they did, the guards kept piling in. "There's too many of them!" Jeffery exclaimed.

"They're just distractions! We need to find the central core!"

"But how are we supposed to do that when there are so many of them?"

Suddenly, a barrage of long, pink beams fired upon the guards, making them disappear. Those beams came from Numbuh 23 and Numbuh 692 at the sniping point, Numbuh 692 making his usual battle cries. The beams continued to pick off the guards, giving Numbuh 1 and Jeffery ample time to escape.

In the first layer, Numbuh 78 continued to plummet, drawing ever closer to the water below. In the second layer, Numbuh 35 was thrust to the ceiling. He couldn't seem to get back down despite his efforts. The guard who did the job floated up to him, ready to shoot at point blank range. Numbuh 35 smiled and bounced right off the guard, leaving the guard prone in the air.

In the third layer, Numbuh 692 continued to watch as Numbuh 1 and Jeffery made their way to the central core. "One at the top floor!" Numbuh 23 instructed. Numbuh 692 fired. "One at the edge of the wall!" Another shot. "Two near the gate!" Two shots, each directed at a specific guard.

Numbuh 1 and Jeffery trudged on through, before coming across a room with a large steel door. "Could it be?" Jeffery asked.

"Yes," Numbuh 1 replied. "The central core room."

"There's a keypad over there. What do we do?"

Numbuh 1 moved up to the door and rapidly hit the buttons.

"What're you doing?"

"Trying every possible combination. Something has to turn up at some point."

"Yeah!" Numbuh 692 cheered. "They made it! We're gonna get a new member!"

"Uh oh!" Numbuh 23 panicked. "Heads up at the door!"

Numbuh 692 turned. When he saw it, his pupils shrank. "No…it can't be….It's…SUMMER!"

True enough, it was the strange Numbuh 12, wearing a winter coat and holding a pistol. She walked up calmly to the two, the others not noticing her.

"What're ya waitin' for!?" Numbuh 23 hurriedly said. "Shoot her!"

"I…can't!" Numbuh 692 meeped.

Numbuh 12 inched closer.

"What? Why not?"

"She's…she's my friend!"

Numbuh 12 took aim.

"She's not your friend anymore! She's a traitor!"

"But…what if she's…"

Jeffery turned around, and finally noticed her.

"Hello, boys," Numbuh 12 said, firing a dart at Jeffery, thus causing him to fall over.

"_NOOOOOOO_!" Numbuh 692 screamed.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Numbuh 23 took aim and fired at Numbuh 12, knocking her down and causing her to disappear.

"_JEFFEREY_!" Numbuh 692 jumped out the window, activated his Jet Thrusters, and descended to the ground below. Numbuh 23 teleported to his position. "Is he…is he?"

"No," Numbuh 1 replied. "He hasn't disappeared, so he's not dead. He's probably asleep."

"Do-o-oh!" Numbuh 692 began shaking Jeffery. "Jeffery, wake up! Jeffery!"

"Tranquilizer. He's out like a light."

"…get me and Virginia a D.R.E.A.M.M.A.C.H.I.N.E.! Now!"

"What for?"

"If I go into his mind and free him, we can still recruit him. You stay here."

"Roger." Numbuh 1 conjured a D.R.E.A.M.M.A.C.H.I.N.E. and hooked up Numbuh 692, Jeffery and Numbuh 23. Numbuh 23 conjured up a pair of melatonin-filled water glasses, the two drank up, and fell asleep, beginning another journey.

The area they landed in was a neighborhood in ruin, houses in rows demolished. The sky was lined up with grey clouds that looked like they could rain at any minute. Numbuh 23 was taken aback at what she saw. "What…" she asked, "…is this?"

"This?" Numbuh 692 responded. "It's my neighborhood."

"Your…neighborhood? How'd it get this way?"

"I don't wanna talk about it. There's a good reason I left it to come to where I am now. But if you're looking for clues, know that Father isn't the only ruthless dictator around."

Numbuh 23 shivered. Someone who was just like, if not worse than Father?

"Well, here's my house." The two arrived at a two-story building which had faded brown paint, a roof with a hole in it, and a window that was smashed. "It used to look a lot better in my dreams. Losing your girlfriend can do that to you."

Numbuh 692 pulled the doorknob, but when he did, the door fell to the ground, eliciting a yelp from Numbuh 23. The two walked in slowly, witnessing the walls with holes in them, the shattered windows, and the dead flowers.

At last, the two came across the living room, a roomy area with a carpet filled with stains, bookcases fallen to the floor, and ripped couches. Sitting on one of the couches were two people, one was Jeffery, tied up by purple energy ropes, and as for the other?

"Summer," Numbuh 692 said.

"Hi, Thomas." Numbuh 12 said. "I missed you."

"Not sure if the feeling's quite mutual. Let him go."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"As a favor to a friend."

"You mean the one who abandoned me?"

"Me? Abandon _you_?! _You're_ the one who abandoned _me_!"

"Tell you what?" Numbuh 12 moved closer to Numbuh 692 and hugged him. "I'll let him go, if you do _me_ a favor."

"And what would that be?"

"Stay with me. I miss you, and I know you miss me. We're four layers in. I know you don't like the other people, especially not Nigel. So if you promise to be with me forever and ever, you don't have to be with them anymore, and we can forget about this silly argument between kids and adults. Please?"

Numbuh 692 contemplated it for a moment, then let Numbuh 12's grip go. "You're right. I _do_ miss you. You're probably one of the few people who understands me that's not like me, so to speak. But…"

"But?"

"I have a duty. A duty to my friends. I'm not saying I'm replacing you or anything, but I can't let them down."

Numbuh 12 clenched her fist.

"They need me. And I…I need them. You will always be my first non-normal friend, but there are good reasons as to why I can't see you anymore. So I'm gonna have to say…no thanks."

Numbuh 12 grabbed Numbuh 692 and threw him into a wall. She rushed up close to him and started beating on him repeatedly, delivering hit after hit, screaming "Stay with me! Stay with me!" mindlessly.

However, a bolt of energy hit her, causing her to fall over and disappear. When she did, Numbuh 692 got a clear view of the assailant: Numbuh 23. "Yer girlfriend's really scary!" she retorted.

Numbuh 692 snarked. "She's not the only one to fall for me then go evil. I think I'm some kinda doom magnet."

Numbuh 23 broke the energy ropes, freeing Jeffery. "Thanks, guys!" he said.

"No prob! Now…how do we get outta here?"

"I know how, but you're not gonna like it."

"What's the worst it could be?"

Jeffery smirked evilly. Numbuh 692 smiled sweetly.

His terrified screams could be heard as the three plummeted from high above, having teleported up there. When the three hit the pavement, they woke up back in the third layer.

"Good! You're awake," Numbuh 1 observed. "Listen, I think that keypad isn't really a keypad. It's really a fingerprint scanner. I've tried every single combination, and I still can't get it."

"Well," Numbuh 692 said as he walked up to the scanner, "time for the princess to put on her glass slipper!" He punched the keypad with the numbers 4-1-1-2.

"ACCESS DENIED" the keypad read.

"Aww…come on! There's no way, that's ridiculous, you got to be joking!"

"Well, in that thing's defense, you did say 'princess'," Numbuh 23 said, inputting the numbers 1-1-3-8.

"ACCESS DENIED"

"Well, I'm gonna try it," Jeffery said. "If this doesn't work, we're getting a guard." He input the numbers 4-2-2-2.

"ACCESS APPROVED"

The door opened up to reveal a familiar sight to Jeffery: his father. "D…Dad?"

"Hello, son," Mr. Millstone said to Jeffery. "How are you?"

"Umm…I'm…kinda…"

"No, go on, let it out."

"Well…I met these people, and I…kinda want to spend more time with them, but…if I do, you…"

"Listen, son." Mr. Millstone put his hand on Jeffery's shoulder. "It doesn't matter what you end up doing in life, or who you meet. I'm sure you're doing something great. Whatever it is you want to do, I'll support you all the way."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. You're my son, after all. We have to stick together."

"O...okay. Okay!"

Numbuh 23 shed a few tears. Numbuh 692 let out waterfalls of tears.

Back in the first layer, the go-van continued to plummet, reaching ever the closer to the pool. In the second layer, Numbuh 35 was pinned to another wall. "Now what'dya hafta say for yourself, Kiddy?" the guard said.

Numbuh 35 smirked. "Self-destruct in ten…" He started to glow. "..nine…"

In the third layer, a group of guards spotted the group.

"…eight…"

Those guards then pulled their triggers…

"…seven…"

…and fired upon the children…

"…six…"

…each shot hitting successfully…

"…five…"

…which caused them all to wake up.

"…four…"

They quickly noticed a brilliant light…

"…three…"

…which was emanating from Numbuh 35…

"…_two_…"

…so they plugged their fingers into their ears.

"…_ONE_…"

Numbuh 35 exploded, taking everyone within the blast radius with him. This woke the operatives up in the first layer, just in time for them to fall into the pool.

At this point, all the operatives and Jeffery were awake, the sound of a school bell ringing in their ears. Numbuh 202 turned off the speaker, letting them wake up normally.

"Report!" Numbuh 1 interjected.

"Numbuh 202 reporting!"

"Numbuh 78 reporting!"

"Numbuh 35 reporting!"

"Numbuh 23 reporting!"

"Captain 692 reporting for duty!"

"I'm here, too," said Jeffery, "although I'm not a member of your group."

"Well, that can change," Numbuh 1 replied. "Do you want to help us fight adult tyranny in all its forms?"

"Yeah…yeah I kinda do! I'm gonna make my father proud!"

"Splendid!" He pulled out a walky-talky and spoke into it. "Attention, Antarctic Base crew? We've got another one. Requesting dustoff."

Meanwhile, Numbuh 692 was talking on his wrist-communicator. "Hello, Megan?"

"Oh! You should've been there!" Numbuh 450 said excitedly. "I went to Japan and I got to see all the sights, and, and, I got to fight off Tiger Mom's forces, oh gosh that was so fun, and I got to meet the Japanese Kids Next Door and they were really nice and-"

"Okay, okay, I'll hear about it when you pick me up. Basically, requesting dustoff."

"Oka-a-ay! I'll be right there!" She broke contact.

Numbuh 692 turned around, noticing Numbuh 23 talking to Numbuh 35. 692 walked up to them. "Oh, Virginia?"

"'Sup?" She replied.

"My real name is Thomas."

"I remember; I heard it from that weirdo Numbuh 12. Why are you tellin' me that?"

"Oh, just thought it'd come in handy one day."

"Whatever." Numbuh 23 paused. "So…tell me more about your neighborhood."

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Might come in handy one day." Numbuh 23 winked.

"Oh, it's a long story. Don't worry…I'll tell you everything."

End Transmission

* * *

**I WARNED YOU ABOUT THE DERIVATIVENESS. I TOLD YOU, DOG.**

**Now that that's out of the way... **

**"****_"Okay, Thomas,"_**** Numbuh 692 thought, ****_"get your act together. Reality warping powers? That's for kittens!"_****" Captain Thomas is in control throughout the entire scene. The scene is too similar to DBZ Abridged Vegeta... suiting up. This really isn't my best work.**

**"Numbuh 692 was even more shocked. "S-SUMMER?!"" I don't think we ever got an official full name from her. In my series, it's Summer Greenfield. If there's a more canon name for her, I'll correct it. I doubt there is, she's basically one step up from a background character.**

**"NO!" Numbuh 692 smashed a nearby window. "****_NOOO_****!" Star Trek First Contact. I don't even like the movie.**

**""…you want to know why I'm seeing her?" Numbuh 692 said." Two things here. For one, Captain Thomas is speaking throughout most of this scene. For another, a Jazz song plays that will become the theme when the two are together. I imagine the song being similar to Fragrance of Dark Coffee from Phoenix Wright because I don't have a composer. In particular, the arrangement here is based off the first verse from the Gyakuten Meets Orchestra version.**

**"But don't hurt her ****_too_**** hard."" Numbuh 692 says the last line. From now on, I will refer to 692's personality as "Silly Thomas", while I refer to Captain Thomas as "Serious Thomas."**

**""****_NOOOOOOO_****!" Numbuh 692 screamed." This specific NOOOOO was based off 1999 Dub Trunks' NOOOOO when Android 18 breaks Vegeta's arm.**

**""…get me and Virginia a D.R.E.A.M.M.A.C.H.I.N.E.! Now!"" Serious Thomas speaking. He stays serious for most of the rest of this scene.**

**""No prob! Now…how do we get outta here?"" Silly Thomas is back.**

**" 4-1-1-2" April 1st 2012. The day Toonami was revived. It'd be a good day for an anime guy like Thomas.**

**"1-1-3-8." THX-1138.**

**""Oh, Virginia?"" Serious Thomas is serious to the end.**


	3. Next Episode Preview

**Incoming Transmission**

Hi, hi, everyone! I'm Numbuh 3! Omigosh, so Numbuh 450 asked me if I could go to Japan, and I totally said yes! Wow, things are really different. More culture-y. Hey, you girls aren't very nice! Tiger Mom? Why can't I just go on vacation without something happening to me? I'll see you in **Operation JAPAN**! Luv ya, buh bye!

**End Transmission**


End file.
